


Crystal Pink Persuasion

by Lopaka_Tanu



Category: Seven Days
Genre: Episode Remix, Episode: 3x17 Crystal Blue Persuasion, Language, M/M, Non-Graphic Violence, Sexual Situations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-25
Updated: 2012-01-25
Packaged: 2017-10-30 02:31:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/326792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lopaka_Tanu/pseuds/Lopaka_Tanu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Frank is the one seduced by the astronaut in 'Crystal Blue Persuasion'.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Crystal Pink Persuasion

**Author's Note:**

> A series of scenes that rely heavily upon the episode.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not claim any ownership of Seven Days or any copyrighted material therein. This is purely for amusement, no profit was made.

"There's something about him I don't like." Standing at the head of the conference table, Frank thumped a finger against his lips. He leaned a little closer to Donovan so the other man could hear him better. "I can't put my finger on it."

Donovan shook his head. They had been watching the man in question through the glass walls for the last minute. In all that time, the astronaut had yet to take his eyes off Olga. "Oh yeah, I think I can."

"Really?" Eye brow shooting up, Parker glanced at his friend from the corner of his eye. "Care to elaborate?"

"No, not really." With a grin, he patted his friend on the shoulder. "Come on, let's go introduce ourselves before he forgets there's a crowd and just jumps her."

Frank's curious expression quickly turned sour. "That's not funny!"

"Yeah, it is." Donovan enjoyed the death glare. This is what he lived for. Sure, there was the job, but nothing quite gave the thrill of baiting Frank B. Parker and getting away with it. Moving quickly, he rounded the table to be one of the first to be there when the doors opened.

Feeling less enthusiastic, Frank trudged along after. He shoved his hands deep in his pockets just to be a pest. There was no reason for some stranger to be hanging all over Olga like that. The man seriously had no shame.

He was feeling less and less enthusiastic about this visit with each passing minute. Frank knew there was something off about the guy, he just couldn't place it. No body was that shiny without a damn good reason.

A quick look to everyone around him made him frown. Apparently he was the only one to notice the something hinky. Damn it, why was it always him? He was drawn from his ire by the opening of the door. "Finally."

Donovan elbowed him in the gut. "Quiet." Plastering on the biggest smile possible, Craig readied himself.

Olga was the first through. Backing in to the briefing room, she held the door open with her back so she could watch the Commander enter. The smile on her face was almost manic. "Right this way, Mr. Streck."

Stopping just in the doorway, William smiled at her. "Please, call me Bill." Her nervous giggle made his smile widen.

"Oh, please." Frank rolled his eyes heavenwards. "He's an astronaut, not a god, Olga."

The smile slipped off Olga's face as if wiped away. When she turned to look at Frank, her expression was almost a sneer. "Jealous, Mr. Parker?"

Giving her a scowl, Frank shook his head. "As if." God, he needed to be drunk for this. He looked to Donovan for support, but found his friend scowling. Catching Ramsey's pissed look from the corner of his eye, Frank sighed. There was more trouble. Apparently they were all enamored with the foney.

Groaning, he quickly looked away. This day was going to end with him in traction, he just knew it.

"Hey, why don't we lay off the guy? Hmm?" It was a new voice.

Frank knew the voice. He didn't want to know it, especially since it was coming to his rescue. That was bad, very bad. Shifting his attention to the center of the mob, he found the Commander watching him.

In fact, the man seemed to have forgotten everyone else existed with the way he was staring at Frank. A half smile on his lips, he pressed forwards. The hand not on his cane came up.

Without realizing it, Frank found himself reaching out to grasp the other man's hand. He stared down at his traitorous hand in shock. Wasn't that one just in his pants pocket?

Enveloping Frank's in his own, the Commander met and held Frank's gaze. He had a large hand, warm and a little moist. A pleased expression settled on his face. "Bill Streck."

"Frank Parker." His eyes nearly popped out his head. Was that his voice? No way in hell! He was not going to be nice to this character. "I heard you had a little accident."

Bill's smile dimmed a little. "You could say that."

The sadness in his voice made Frank's heart clench. For some insane reason, he wanted to make that pain go away. "Sorry for your loss."

"They were good men." Bill glanced over to Olga. His smile took on a sad edge.

Just like that, whatever evil spell the man had cast upon him was suddenly lifted. Frank, now free, pulled his hand back. He didn't bother to hide wiping his hand off on his jumpsuit.

From her spot by the door, Olga snorted with derision.

Frank knew he was back in the dog house with her. So what else was new?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Frank felt like a fool. There was no real reason to despise the guy, yet he did. A hint of the guy was all he needed to know he was trouble. It was almost a smell he had. He slammed the door to his mini-fridge, beer in hand.

Clicking open the tab, Frank glared at the far wall. Beer was the great mellower, it dulled all rage. Or, it got him drunk enough to actually pull something stupid. Either way, he was going to drink enough to help him forget the way the guy kept staring at Olga.

Hey, may be Olga would like to his smell then. She seemed to like that musky stink coming off the Commander.

He made a face at that thought. The Commander. How pretentious. He was just an ordinary guy like the rest of them. Nothing special. Hell, he wasn't even a hero, just the guy that survived.

Trust Ramsey to forget the definition of a true Hero.

Frank knew he was a hero. He had saved the world many times, many upon many times. Commander Tight Ass saved his own ass once and suddenly the chicks were fawning over him. What the hell had the world come to? Obviously not some place he had saved, that's for damn sure.

With a twist of his neck, he took a deep chug of his beer. He swallowed with a snort. Like a man, a real damned hero! Burping, he thumped his chest to get it all out.

"What's he got that I don't?" He had meant it to be a rhetorical question, but he glanced over at Donovan just the same.

The amused set of his eyebrows never wavered as Donovan shook his head. From his place on Frank's couch, he held the beer he had taken for himself unopened. "Gee, I can't imagine what. Could it be the fact he has never thrown himself at Olga?"

"Why would he? She's all but wrapped herself up in a pretty bow for the guy." Frank paused at the image, beer halfway to his mouth. The image made him twist his head in appreciation. "Am I the only one who sees that there's something wrong in that?"

"Yeah, you are, buddy." With a roll of his eyes, Craig fingered the can. May be he should open it now.

The look didn't get by Frank's notice. "This is Olga we are talking about here. Her shower gives new meaning to 'Iron Curtain'. And before you say anything, it was one time and I was just checking to see if it had those sticky thinks so she wouldn't slip!"

That was worth a closed eyed sigh. If he were going to survive his friend's antics, Donovan was going to need the alcohol in his hand. So, he cracked it open. "Set aside the fact that your activities border on stalking, you actually made a valid point for once. Olga is acting a little out of character, but it's not surprising considering who this is."

"Oh, give me a break!" With a groan, Parker dropped his chin to his chest. "Don't start with the ass-kissing again. I can't handle another round of how great the great Commander is."

"I wasn't going to." Not really. Donovan stared at his can as he brought it to his lips. Taking a slow sip, he relished the flavor. The cool liquor sent a shiver through him. Closing his eyes, he sighed with pleasure. "Have you ever thought the reason Olga never takes you seriously is because all you've done is teased her?"

Frank nearly dropped his beer. Face screwed up, he turned to face his best friend. "Are you kidding? I've been nothing but up-front about my feelings for her since day one!"

"You're a flirt, Frank, with anything that has breasts." After another drink, Donovan wiped his mouth. He looked up at the other man with a grin. "If you were a girl, you'd be the first one to call yourself a cocktease. All you do is talk a good game."

"Ouch! A dagger would be less painful." Putting a hand to his chest, Frank mimicked being stabbed. The grin on his face said he understood it was a joke. Still, the words rang with some truth in his mind.

"I'm just saying." Donovan took a longer drink of his beer. He moaned in pleasure as he swallowed this time. "What are we doing this weekend? Nicks at Spurs or clandestine meetings to oust Ramsey with the lab techs in the basement?"

"Both! Why waste time? We can have the party to cover the fact we are meeting." The distraction was obvious. Knowing that Craig was tired of his ranting, Frank let him lead on. "Ramsey is going to want a piece of the action, though, so warn the guys not to wear the club T-shirts."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Frank was drowsing when the knock came from his door. He knew was doing it because his head shot up from his chest at the noise. Reaching up to wipe the drool from his chin, he groaned. Even the dim light from his bookcase light was painful to his drunken eyes.

The knock came again.

"Just a sec!" Groaning, he made use of the arm rests on his chair to help him stand. The world seemed to tilt as he rose, making him grab for his desk to keep his balance. After a second dip, he righted himself.

The third knock came more insistent this time. A hand tried the door knob.

He would have rolled his eyes if he wasn't sure he would have taken a nose dive for it. If they were that determined to get in then they could just come right on in. Frank didn't have to wait long.

After pushing the door open, a familiar face poked through the open crack. Streck glanced about before his eyes landed on Frank. The moment they did, he smiled. "Good, you're awake."

"Funny that. It tends to happen when someone knocks on my door in the middle of the night." Using both hands on his desk, Frank made himself stand to his full height. "What do you want?"

Streck took this for an invitation and walked the rest of the way in. His easy going smile took on a more assessing tone as he glanced Frank up and down. "I came to make sure there were no hard feelings from earlier."

"Nah. I hate every new guy we meet." Frank mentally added boy scout to the guy's list of crimes. He wasn't sure what the man wanted, but he wasn't going far from the comfort of his desk.

"That's real good." Closing the door behind him, Streck started towards Frank and the desk. "Olga seems real fond of you, despite her earlier words. Once we got out of the briefing, you were all she could talk about."

"All of it bad, I hope." And he really did. May be his only hope was to scare the guy with his bad habits. 'Okay,' Frank thought, 'may be I am a little drunk still.' When he looked at the guy again, he was surprised to see how close he was. "Whoa! Weren't you just over there a second ago?"

Coming around the desk, Streck's eyes were drawn to Frank's face. "Yeah." A tiny twinge in his jaw became visible as he stopped a foot away. His hands clenched at his sides.

Frank braced himself for an attack. He was now within easy reach. From the looks of things, he might have that fight he had been spoiling for earlier on his hands. "What do you want?"

Streck's hands came up, his breath hitching. He stopped himself halfway to reaching for Parker.

That made Frank take a hesitant step back. Now facing the other man, he swayed a little under his own power. Frank brought up his hands to defend himself. "I'm a little under the influence at the moment, but," he hiccuped. "But, I'm pretty sure I can still kick your ass!"

Blue eyes tracked over Frank's face as Streck frowned. They quickly went back to his lips. Licking his own, Streck took a shuddering breath. "I don't want to fight with you." He said fight in such a way that it sounded like that wasn't the word he wanted.

Mind reeling, Parker tried to come up with what the hell was going on. The only conclusions his mind drew didn't make sense. "What is it then?"

Frowning again, Streck shook his head. "This was a mistake." He took a step back, forcing his hands back to his sides. "It's good to know there's no bad blood between us."

"Nope." Frank made a cutting gesture between them. "Nothing bad here."

"Definitely not from what I can see." He gave the other man a final look over before turning and heading for the door. Streck stopped as he opened it to smile at Frank. "I look forward to seeing more of you."

"You do that." Swaying a little, Frank saluted the other man sarcastically. The moment the door closed behind him, Frank frowned. He blinked twice before the frown intensified. "What the hell just happened here?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stepping out of the bathroom, q-tip in his ear, Frank growled at the sight of his quarters. There were beers can every where. After waking to his first wet dream since he was thirteen, he was in no mood to deal with this hassle. Yet, he knew no one else but him would clean it up.

He could live in a mess on his good days, but not empty beer cans. After a few hours, they took on this smell that only got worse the longer they laid out. Old beer was never a good thing.

Sighing, he kicked the closest one and headed for his bedroom. Much to his relief, he had remembered to close the blinds. Wouldn't do for the entire base to get a look at his tool. Then again, it might do him some good to let word get around.

He let the towel drop inside his doorway. The place was already a mess, not like he was going to ruin anything.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Craig was already busy at the weights by the time Frank dragged his hung-over ass in to the gym. He nodded to his friend, but didn't say anything. The man looked entirely too chipper after a night of drinking.

Did he really drink anything aside from that one beer? Frank couldn't seem to recall. Oh well. It didn't matter, he had been there for him after all.

Yawning, he walked over to the dumbells. This morning he wanted fifteen pounders. Seeing that the one pair was waiting for him, he smiled. At least something was going right today. He jerked them free of their rack, taking special care to shake his arms a few times before he began to seriously pump.

"Morning, sleeping beauty." He even sounded disgustingly cheerful. Curling the small weight bar, Donovan brought it to his chest and paused. "Did you have any interesting dreams?"

The dumbell nearly fell from Frank's hand. Back straight, he turned to face his friend. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh nothing." The way he bit his lip belied his words. Craig lowered the weight bar and held it out front of him.

Eyeing him, Frank thinned his lips in annoyance. The other man was going to make a crack, one that Frank might have to crack him for. He could already hear it in his ears. Turning his back, he braced himself.

"Oh, Commander!" The moan echoed in the small weight room. It was soon followed by Donovan's snicker.

Frank refused to let himself be baited. The bastard was going to tease him for the next week. The more Frank let it get to him, the more he would be goaded. He knew these games by heart.

"Did you have a good time last night, Frank?" Craig brought the weight bar back to his chest. "It sure sounded like it."

"Donovan, I swear to god." Biting his lip, Frank flinched. He knew it was a mistake the moment the words left his lips.

Crowing with laughter, Craig lowered the weight bar to his waist. He stepped forward to put it back on the rack. Then he had to brace himself against it to keep from falling over from the laughter.

That was okay. He was going to pay later, dearly. Keeping his back to the other man, Frank looked for something else to focus on while he continued to curl. His gaze soon went through the glass wall to the room across the hall. What he saw nearly made him drop the weights again.

Staring back at him with an intensity that sent a shiver down his spine, was the Commander. His blue eyes felt like lasers against Frank's skin. Heat traveled where they touched, distracting Frank from his work out.

A throat cleared behind him, bringing Frank back to the weight room.

Blinking, he shook his head. When he looked back, Streck was back to his workout on the treadmill. "Geeze, think I'm going out of my mind here."

Donovan laughed again, loud and braying like a hyena.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Wonder what this is about." Pushing his way through the briefing room doors, Frank shifted his stance to show off his tense shoulders. He was in no mood for crap from the others today. If he could just get through this meeting, everything would be fine. He was almost passed them when he felt a presence behind him.

If the person knew what was good for them, they would leave him alone.

A familiar heady smell wafted over his nostrils before a warm hand settled on his lower back. Frank's already tense muscles went completely rigid.

Leaning close enough that his breath rolled over Frank's skin, Streck smiled. "Good to see you, Frank." His hand slid lower to rest on the top of Frank's ass. "Real good."

"Okay, that does it!" Frank spun, bringing his fist up to hit the other guy. It was intercepted halfway to the guy's face by a stronger hand.

Hand gripping Frank by the wrist, Streck had the balls to look like the strength involved didn't even phase him. "Oh, come on, Navy. Can't we all just get along?"

In answer, Frank tried to ram his other fist in the other guy's gut. It made contact, he was certain, but bounced off like his abs were made of steel. Flinching as the hand around his wrist tightened, Frank met Streck's stern expression.

"That wasn't very nice." His contorted features quickly resettled themselves in to a smile. Leaning in closer, he smirked. "But I'm in a forgiving mood this morning."

"Is there a problem here?" The voice was wary, like this event was business as usual.

Turning to look over his shoulder, Streck smiled for Talmadge. "Everything's fine. Frank's just keeping me on my toes."

"That's our Frank Parker." Bradley came closer, his cigar clenched between two fingers. "Always playing jokes. Isn't that right."

A squeeze made Frank wince and cut off his retort. Glaring at Streck, he nodded. "That's right, just joking."

One would have thought the world had just turned bright and colorful as Streck's expression became one of ultimate serenity. Leaning a little forward until his face was but a hare's breath away from Frank's, he licked his lips. "I look forward to seeing what other skills you have, Frank."

"Count on it." It took all his strength not to hit the bastard, but Frank managed. That asshole quality was just ratcheting up there with each breath.

Finally, Streck released the other man. Taking a step back, he jerked his uniform top until it was loose over his muscles. He gestured at the briefing room. "After you."

Since he was already halfway in the room, Frank didn't bother to get pissy. Instead, he gave the astronaut a one fingered salute and spun around. He was about to head for his seat when a hand slapped him on the ass.

"Boys," was Talmadge's only warning.

Repeating curses under his breath, Frank walked to his seat.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"No way! No way in hell!" Frank was close to throwing the examination table. At the rate he was going, he just might.

Arms crossed, Olga watched Parker rant and rage over her request. It was nothing new and she was well aware she would get her way. "It is only for two weeks."

"I said no way!" Spinning on heel, Frank stormed his way up to her. Raising a hand, he pointed at the wall behind them. The one currently occupied by a grinning Commander. "There's something seriously wrong with the bastard! I don't care if you don't see it, I do and that's all that matters!"

"Be reasonable, Mr. Parker." Looking down, she refused to meet his accusing stare.

"Did you not hear me? I said no! You're my Doctor, not his! He doesn't need you, I do!" When she continued to watch her shoes, he sighed and turned away. He faced the window. The bastard was watching only him.

"Well, Mr. Parker, as much as this may gall you, I am my own person." Olga raised her eyes in time to meet Frank's surprised reaction. "I can make up my own mind, and I want to go." Her clipped tone gave away how angry he had made her.

Seeing the resolve in her eyes, Frank swallowed. He knew that now there was no way he would get her to back out of this. Still, he had to try. "Would you please, just listen to me? He's not right. There's something off about..."

"Enough!" She silenced him with a slicing motion. "You've done nothing but behave like a spoiled child from the moment you laid eyes upon him. I have had it, Frank, and now I think you should leave!"

"Olga," he tried one last time. The threatening look from her made his chest hurt. Sighing, he looked away. After a few more breaths, he turned and headed for the door. He could feel that son of a bitch's eyes upon him all the way down the hall.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Two weeks, Donovan. She's going to be alone with that bastard for two weeks." Holding the dart, Frank lined up his next throw. "I know the creep is going try something. He's got smarmy written all over him."

Snickering, Craig waited his turn. "Come on, Frank, it's not like that. She is going to be studying him for after effects of exposure." Stepping around his friend when the final throw went wild, he lined up for his own toss. "Besides, it's not like she's really going to be alone. They're heading back to Houston, NASA headquarters. We both know there is literally no sex going on there."

"I don't like it. It stinks!" Frank watched Craig make his three throws before walking over to pick up his darts from the floor. In his agitation, they had bounced off the bricks. "Why Olga? She's got nothing to do with this."

"Are you kidding?" Craig paused in his lining up. Looking over, he found his friend staring at him in question. This made him sigh. "She's the top scientist in her field. Hell, she's the only scientist in her field. If anyone can know if someone's been effected by exposure to aliens and their technology, it is Olga."

"Then why can't she do it here?" Knowing he was grasping at straws did little to discourage him. Frank knew it in his bones the man was bad! He didn't need the sexual harassment to tell him that.

Donovan shook his head in frustration. Like he needed to repeat the reasons given. Like he needed to tell Frank he was at the top of that list. Growling, he lined up the shot and threw the dart. He only sighed a little when it missed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The phone buzzed.

With a grin, Frank reached out to pick up the receiver. Putting it to his ear, he took a quick breath. "Parker."

"This is the front gate, sir. Lieutenant Cornwell is here with your package." The voice on the other end was exasperated, but a chuckling.

"Excellent!" Twirling the cord in his fingers, Frank looked to the ceiling. "Is everything there?"

"Yes, sir." The humor was gone this time.

Closing his eyes, Frank sighed in pleasure. "Give him the payment and bring it to the base. I'll be waiting."

"This is the last favor I owe you, sir."

"Until tomorrow night's poker game." He hung up before the man could reply. It was always nice playing these suckers. They always thought they had a chance. Grinning, he spun his chair to face the desk so he could stand up. What he found waiting across it made his heart skip a beat.

Standing with his arms crossed, Streck stared down at him with a knowing smirk. He looked comfortable there, signaling that he had been in place for a bit. "I think that's going to have to wait a bit."

Rising from his chair, Frank cracked his knuckles. "I can wait to get Olga's flowers until after I kick your ass." He started around his desk. "It'll be the cherry on top of this shit sundae."

"You and I both know that isn't going to happen." Uncrossing his arms, Streck tracked Frank's steps around the desk. When the smaller man was within reach, Bill's hands shot out faster than he could react. He grasped Frank by the front of his jumpsuit and dragged him close.

Frank's eyes went wide as he was pulled forward. His hands went out to brace himself to keep from falling. What the encountered was the solid form of his attacker. Strong arms came up to encircle him, pressing him against the astronaut's chest and something decidedly not the man's buckle. "Hey! This isn't fighting fairly."

"I'm not fighting." Leaning his head forwards, Streck dragged his nose along Frank's cheek. "But when I do, it's dirty and to win."

Taking a quick breath, Frank found his vision starting to swim. The front of his pants became tight as a pleasant heat went through him. "Hey." His tongue felt heavy in his mouth, making it hard to speak. "What's going on?"

"Don't fight it." Streck's grip around Frank's waist seemed to loosen as it slid lower. His large hand settled over the firm flesh of the shorter man's ass. "I'll make this pleasurable for you."

Frank forced another choking breath. His mind supplied that whatever that effected him was probably in the air. Frowning, he tried one last attempt at speaking. "What are you doing...to me?" Bringing his hands up, he found himself clutching at the other man's body instead of forcing him away.

"Loving you." His deep voice seemed to come from every where. He pulled back far enough that Frank could see his face. "When you awaken, you will understand."

That didn't sound right to Frank. He couldn't remember, couldn't focus long enough to try. "Let..." The words fled his mind. Placing his face on the man's shoulder, he shuddered.

Distantly, Frank became aware that he was being backed against his desk. A quick slide of the astronaut's arm cleared it off. Then, those strong hands were on his hips, raising him up to sit on top of the desk. Heat flushed Frank as he was gently laid back. He could only stare dazedly up at the larger man as he removed his shirt.

There was something...really good about this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Frank felt sore. He tried to shift to ease the pain his lower back, but found he couldn't. The familiar feeling of restraints around his waist, wrists, and ankles made him come awake instantly. Sudden rage filled him and Frank surged up against them.

The reaction was instant. From all sides, people came in to view.

Olga was the first to appear solid. In her hand, a large needle was readied to inject him. "Calm down, Mr. Parker, I do not wish to use this."

"If you want me calm, release me!" He jerked at his right arm to get free so he could knock the syringe from her hands. When it didn't come, he snarled at her. "You've really flipped it this time, Olga! Just wait until Bradley finds out!"

"What makes you think I don't already?" His customary cigar missing, Talmadge stopped at the foot of the bed. The expression on his face was one of sorrow and regret. "Is he in there good and tight?"

"He's held down for now, but we don't know the extent of his strength." Holding the needle up to the light, Olga checked for air bubbles. "Streck must have been holding back during his physical."

"Streck?" Frank frowned. This gave him pause enough to look around. Now that he looked, he noticed every familiar face there. All except his best friend. That made him swallow. "Where's Donovan?"

"Suiting up. The panel's approved a backstep." Talmadge drew Frank's attention again. He looked to come closer, then grimaced and stayed back. "You were right, for what little comfort that might bring you." Taking a deep breath, he shook his head. "I'm sorry, Frank. If we had listened to you instead of... It matters little, this will all be undone and you won't remember."

"Thank God for that." Weapon out, Ramsey stood to Bradley's left. The look he gave Frank was one of pure sympathy. "I wanted you gone, but not like this. Poor bastard."

"What the hell is going on?" Now completely confused, Frank turned to the others. "Owsley? Isaac?" When they looked away, the anger returned. "Somebody tell me what the hell is going on! Now!" He jerked against the bonds as a surge of strength seemed to flow through his muscles.

With a groan, the metal frame under him started to give. Pleasure at the look of fear in their eyes made Frank smirk. When he got free, he was going to get some answers, one way or another. He started to give another tug when pain stabbed in his arm. Looking over, he found a needle embedded in the flesh.

Biting her lip, Olga pressed the plunger. She quickly pulled it out and stepped back. "I'm sorry, Mr. Parker."

His started to speed up as fire raced up his arm. The excruciating pain sent ripples through his chest and Frank screamed. Jerking at the bonds, he tried to free himself from both them and the pain. When it reached his heart, Frank felt a curious sensation.

For a long moment, he stared up at the ceiling in confusion.

Then it came to him. He knew what was wrong. Blinking a final time, he cursed everyone around him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Laying back on his couch, Frank sipped at a beer. It had long ago lost that wonderful chill and was now room temperature. He grimaced as he tasted it. The damned thing was also flat. Setting it aside, he wiped his hand off on his pants. "Who do you favor for the Tampa game, Donovan?"

There was no response.

Frowning, Frank sat up. He glanced about the office, but his friend was no where to be found. That was impossible, the man was just there a second ago. Possibilities of what might have happened ran through his mind until an alarm sounded.

Frank was on his feet and running for the door before he even realized he was reacting. He flew through it and down the hall toward the control room. Passing several people on his way, narrowly avoided knocking them over.

He hadn't quite succeeded with one lab tech he would apologize to later.

Rounding the final corner, Frank came up behind a platoon of marines as they entered the sphere room. He stopped well back to prevent them from thinking him a hostile. That didn't bother him, though, as the sight of the sphere surrounded by the energy field took his breath away.

For the first time, he saw what everyone else did. It was quite beautiful, if a little nauseating from this side. Hell, it was bad enough navigating it from the inside. Whomever was inside was doing an admirable job, considering they weren't him.

Finally, the lights died away the sphere started to smoke a little. Half a heartbeat later, the door blasted open and fell off. Standing in the hatchway, the orange jumpsuited figure twisted his helmet. Taking it off, Donovan swayed a little.

A sick feeling started in the pit of Frank's stomach. Whatever had sent his friend back instead of him, he didn't think he was going to like.

 

THE END...................................


End file.
